


The Scars You Hide

by retro_Nova384



Category: The Spectacular Spider-Man (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Masochism, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-19 23:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20665937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retro_Nova384/pseuds/retro_Nova384
Summary: When Sandman comes across Electro in a dark moment, he is willing to be there to heal him.





	The Scars You Hide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Angery_Dj](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angery_Dj/gifts).

> A gift for Sinister Poly shipper @Angery_Dj

Sandman never needed to sleep. As a literal clump of living sand, basic human functions such as eating, drinking and sleeping were not necessary. Not to say he couldn't but he rarely did them.

Usually, while the rest of the six were asleep, he would head out and steal loot from any nearby store. However, tonight, the police seemed extra focused on the street on which their house was situated. The criminal sighed, slightly irked but not all that bothered.

"Oh, well. I guess a quick something to eat would be a good way to start an alternative." he murmured before turning away from the window to head to the kitchen.

Just as he reached to hallway that lead to his destination though, he saw a silhouette headed the opposite way. Sandman froze; the figure had been holding something, and judging by how it glinted in the moonlight, he knew it was a knife.

Fearing for the lives of his friends who were all asleep, Sandman abandoned his mission and instead followed the figure as silently as possible.

The moment the silhouette stopped in front of Electro's door was the moment the remains of Sandman's soul left his body. Every grain in his being tensed. "Not him," he prayed silently. "Please, anyone but him."

But alas, the silhouette applied the slightest of pressure to the door, inching it open as quietly and slowly as possible. Suddenly nothing but the electricity based villain mattered to the striped shirted man. He dashed into the room after the figure and threw on the light switch.

Sandman blinked. He had been expected to see a stranger hovering above the younger male, knife in hand, ready to strike. Instead, all he saw was Electro himself, sitting slightly hunched over, clutching his wrist with the knife hovering right over it, staring at him with wide eyes.

"El?" 

Even through the rubber mask, Sandman was clearly able to see the other man was cursing himself for letting himself be followed. "Sandy, what are you doing here?"

The older male pitied the nervous tone in which his friend spoke. "I saw someone headed for your room with a knife from the kitchen. I was scared that they were going to hurt you." he explained, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Beneath his mask, Electro also felt his face heat up. He looked down, avoiding eye contact. "No, that figure was me..." he whispered. 

"I see that," the sand based criminal replied. He glanced inquiringly at Electro. "What are you doing, by the way?"

Panicking, Electro spoke the first thing that came to mind. "I... I w-was about to go b-back to sleep."

"With a knife?" Sandman somehow doubted his friend was telling the truth.

Electro looked down at the cooking utensil, as if just remembering he was holding it. He felt the colour drain from his face and the light that encircled him dim. "W-well... I-I... um..."

That was when Sandman took noticed of where the knife would be if Electro lowered the knife's angle, and just like that, his heart sank. 'Don't tell me...'

He walked toward the protesting Electro and sat next to him on the bed. He gently took the lowered wrist in his hand just as the younger male tried to back into the pillows behind him. Taking a minute to look up at his friend, he saw that the latter resembled a mouse about to be eaten by a hungry lion. Then, he gently pushed up the rubber sleeve to expose Electro's yellow wrist.

At that moment, Sandman's eyes widened in a mixture of horror and despair. Although they were well hidden by age and the constant stream of electricity coursing through the body, dark yellow cuts striped across the slim wrist in his hand, each one deliberate and deep, only possible with a knife. 

"Self-harm." Sandman breathed inaudible, more to himself than Electro. He looked up to look desperately into scared electric blue eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

Those warm honey brown eyes were encrypted with worry and despair, which left the younger male flooded with heartbreak and conflict. He wanted to lie right in his friend's face. But he couldn't. 

He avoided the older man's gaze, remaining silent. Said man, growing more and more worried, squeezed his arm, gently but pleasingly. "Electro, please..."

That did it. Forcing himself to look back up at Sandman, Electro barely managed to croak out an answer. "Since I was ten..."

The shapeshifter had no idea how to react. Judging by the guilty expression on the electricity manipulator's face, albeit though the mask, he knew that the story didn't end there.

Before he could ask, though, Electro decided to come clean. "There's something I need to show you, but you can't tell anyone. Promise me."

Sandman didn't want to. He honestly felt that Electro needed help: help that he alone couldn't offer. But looking into those pleadings eyes, he just couldn't refuse. "I promise."

"Alright then." Taking a few deep breaths to ease his trembling, Electro straightened his posture and removed his mask. Sandman could see his lower lip was trembling. Looking at his friend, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Please, just don't freak out."

After receiving a confused and scared nod, the electric criminal pulled off his shirt, closing his eyes tightly when he heard Sandman's horrified gasp.

Electro's body was well toned and muscular despite how skinny he was. However, sadly, what caught Sandman's attention was the massive slice marks across his chest, torso, shoulders and at the base of his neck. The scars were obviously old, but they were so deep that they would never truly fade. That is when the shapeshifter realised why the younger male covered his body even when he didn't need to in the safe insulation of the house: to hide his scars.

Almost in a trance, Sandman subconsciously raised his hand to trace each cut, causing Electro to shudder at the touch. Sandman recoiled, thinking he had hurt his friend, but was surprised when a yellow hand reached for his and pressed it flush against a scar on his neck. It pulsed angrily under the pressure. And yet Electro seemed to relish the feeling.

"Electro," Sandman almost sounded depressed. "This is horrible! Why would you do this?"

The younger male let out a shaky sigh. Taking a deep breath, he slowly started speaking. "After my dad died, I... I found myself unable to cope... I-I was just a l-little kid-d. When I was old enough to be left unsupervised by my mother, I started looking for ways to cope. The only one that brought me any relief was..." Electro stopped, pausing to glance at his damaged wrist. "I resorted to cutting myself."

Sandman's eyes widened but he didn't say anything for Electro's sake. Nodding encouragingly, he urged his friend to continue. 

"It should hurt, I know it should, but..." he looked at the rest of his body, rubbing his biceps as if cold. "But it doesn't. If anything, it... it m-makes me feel... stronger... happier... more alive. I drank in the pain it caused me."

Tears started to cloud his vision and streak his electric cheeks. Due to not being affected, the shapeshifter leaned in to wipe them away while their owner continued. 

"I-I k-know what p-people will say if they f-find o-out... I-I know s-something i-is w-wrong with m-me..." he sobbed, now hugging his legs. 

Sandman found himself thinking about all the times Electro recklessly put himself in danger and then got upset when the others scolded him about it. Suddenly it made sense: Electro enjoyed the pain of being shot or hit but he couldn't bear being shouted at or judged. 

A masochist who could handle physical pain but not emotional pain. 

Not holding back any longer, Sandman reached right across to hug Electro tightly while the other held on for dear life, sobbing until his eyes stung, his face was soaked and his lungs were on the verge of bursting. All this while, the older male rocked him in his arms, murmuring sweet nothing and drawing soothing circles in his back. 

Eventually, they recoiled but not before making sure the last of the tears had been dried up and wiped away. Electo sniffled before composing himself enough to talk. 

"Thank you for sitting and listening to me, Flint." Electro gave him a small, grateful smile. 

A punk hue spread to Sandman's cheeks. Flint. Not Sandman. Not Sandy. Not Marko. He knew that Electro was showing that he fully trusted him. He nodded at the younger male and spoke, "Anytime, Max. I'm just glad you felt comfortable telling me."

The two laughed and embraced. It was then that Electro gave a small worried frown. "You won't tell the others, will you?"

Sandman shook his head. "Not if you want this to just be between you and me." He noticed that somewhere along the line, Electro had dropped he knife. "I'm going to put this back where it belongs. I'll be right back, okay?"

Electro nodded.

Sure enough, Sandman had returned and sat back down. He smiled and cupped Electro's cheek. The electricity manipulator blushed and held the hand gently against his face, nuzzling it. 

Sandman moved his hand down to caress the scar on the younger male's neck. He seemed lost in thought. 

Electro frowned, confused and concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Snapping his eyes back, the striped shirted man shook his head. "I just was thinking the best remedy for healing you." He leaned in, their lips barely touching. "And I think I know something."

With that, he closed the gap, locking their lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. Electro responded eagerly, drinking in the feeling with a certain kind of hunger. They stayed this way for a while before Electro needed to breathe again. They parted, Electro gasping for air; both parties smiling dorky like idiots.

"I've wanted to that for a long time." Sandman admitted. "I promise you, I'm going to help you heal those wounds"

Electro smiled goofily and stole a quick peck. "With you here, I'm already healed."

They embraced and kissed again, holding each other until they fell asleep at long last. For the first time in forever, neither party had a problem sleeping. For the first time in forever, both parties were truly happy.

And for the first time in forever, Electro didn't need to feel pain to feel alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Electrosand is my ultimate OTP. They're just so perfect together. Also, Electro's masochism and self-harming habits are angst headcanons I have of him.


End file.
